The Brazoria County Library System in Angleton, TX, an epixtech customer using Dynix software since 1994, has signed a contract to upgrade its automation system to epixtech's Horizon Sunrise system. The system will go live this summer, making Brazoria County one of nearly 160 epixtech customers who have migrated from the company's Dynix software to Horizon Sunrise.
Brazoria's evaluation of alternative systems was extensive. A ten-member committee of library professionals evaluated four vendors and systems in a process lasting nearly eighteen months. “After reviewing all the systems, I felt strongly that we needed to move to new technology,” says library director Kathy Threadgill. “Horizon Sunrise delivers the new technology we were looking for. Products from other vendors seemed to be built on old technology.”
Another factor in Brazoria's decision to move to Horizon Sunrise was the exceptional support they have received from epixtech. Threadgill says that during a time when the library had lost its system administrator, “epixtech bent over backwards to help us get the new person up to speed. They understood our situation and wanted to help.”
Brazoria will add enriched content to iPac, its new web-based catalog. This feature lets patrons view book jackets, summaries, book reviews and other content as they electronically browse the library's collection. The library is also installing epixtech's “Kid's iPac” to attract an expanding base of young patrons who visit the library to go online. “We want to capture their attention,” Threadgill says, “hoping they will get drawn into reading books as much as surfing the Web.”
With eleven branches and a collection of 531,000 volumes, Brazoria County Library System serves a population of 240,000 Texans south of Houston. The library's circulation reaches 1.15 million annually.
About epixtech
epixtech is the world's leading provider of automation technologies, solutions, and services for libraries. Their award-winning library automation systems—including Dynix, Horizon Sunrise, and access products for patron self-services and interlibrary loan, along with its new Web-based solutions—are installed in more sites than any other library automation vendor. epixtech, formerly Ameritech Library Services, became a private corporation in December of 1999. epixtech library automation services meet the needs of academic, research, public, corporate, consortia, and K-12 school libraries. Headquartered in Utah, epixtech has offices in Evanston, Illinois; Waterloo, Ontario; as well as in Australia, France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Taiwan. epixtech headquarters are located at 400 W. 5050 N., Provo, UT 84604 and at www.epixtech.com
